President Donald Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Washington, D.C., on Monday for direct talks, following Trump’s high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Zelensky confirmed the visit in a statement posted on X.
Zelensky: “Ukraine Reaffirms Its Readiness for Peace”
In his post, Zelensky said he and Trump spoke extensively by phone after Trump’s meeting with Putin. The call lasted over 90 minutes, including about an hour of one-on-one discussion between the two presidents before European leaders joined.
“Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace,” Zelensky wrote. “President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation.”
Zelensky added that Ukraine is open to a trilateral meeting with the U.S. and Russia, along with Europe’s involvement, to ensure lasting peace.
Lasting Peace, Not Temporary Ceasefire
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that negotiations must aim for a permanent solution: “A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions.”
He outlined conditions for peace, including:
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An immediate stop to battlefield strikes and attacks on civilian infrastructure.
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Release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians.
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Return of children abducted by Russia.
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Continued pressure and sanctions on Moscow while occupation continues.
Zelensky also welcomed European statements backing Ukraine’s position, noting that “all issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine.”
Trump: Agreement, Not Ceasefire
In his own post, Trump confirmed the conversation and said it went “very well.”
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote.
Trump added that if Monday’s meeting goes well, the next step will be to arrange a trilateral summit with Russia in the coming weeks.
Context of the Conflict
The talks come as Russia continues to claim control of four annexed eastern provinces — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — along with Crimea, seized in 2014. The international community has refused to recognize these annexations, while Ukraine insists it will not formally surrender territory.
Trump has made clear that his aim is to move beyond failed ceasefires of the past and secure a permanent peace deal — a move that could reshape the trajectory of the decade-long war.
